The Mountain View City Council signed off on an a developer’s proposal late Tuesday night to close the Stierlin Road onramp to Central Expressway, despite complaints from residents that nearby Moffett Boulevard will only become more congested as a result.

The 5-2 decision was largely based on a desire to keep cut-through traffic out of the surrounding Jackson Park neighborhood. A majority of the council members said they didn’t want motorists frustrated with traffic on Moffett Boulevard to turn Stierlin Road into a major thoroughfare.

“Neighborhood preservation, for me, is making it safe for everyone — making it possible for everyone to walk, for everyone to run, for everyone to ride their bikes, for everyone to drive — and not for people to get from Point A to Point B really quickly,” said Council Member Ronit Bryant.

The proposal was put forward by Prometheus, which is looking to build a 191-unit apartment complex where Stierlin Road and Central Expressway meet. The project would replace a 27,000-square-foot office building, two former auto repair shops, a glass shop and three dwellings.

To help address the loss of the Stierlin Road onramp, the developer has agreed to give up nine feet of its land for a new dedicated right-turn lane from Moffett Boulevard onto southbound Central Expressway.

A majority of the council members also favored the closure because it would provide space for a “cycle track” to potentially link the downtown transit center with the North Bayshore Area. Cycle tracks are dedicated paths for bicycles and are separated from the street.

“We have talked so much about becoming a city that provides alternative modes of transportation. We really need to start doing it — walking the talk more than just talking the talk,” Bryant said. “This is a way to do that.”

More than a dozen residents, however, called on the city council to keep the onramp open.

“Our ramp gets a lot of use. We rely upon it. We go to work. We go shopping. Many of us use it many times a day,” said George Markle, who presented time-lapse video of cars crawling along Moffett Boulevard. “We can only imagine what would happen if this were closed.”

According to a city staff report, the onramp historically provided delivery access for a lumberyard at 100 Moffett Blvd.

Markle and several others who addressed the city council Monday also rejected a consultant’s conclusion that the closure would have only minimal impacts on Moffett Boulevard and other area streets.

“The city does not owe Prometheus the opportunity to make profits at the expense of the local residents and at the expense of hundreds of drivers that use Moffett every day during peak hours,” said resident Peter Spitzer.

But the proposal won the endorsement of several Jackson Park neighborhood denizens, including Andreas Meyer.

“We see the traffic coming up and down (Stierlin Road), and they’re speeding like crazy because they’re late for work or they’re getting angry … because of the traffic,” said Meyer, adding that both he and his wife work from home.

Council members John McAlister and Jac Siegel were against closing the onramp. They questioned the wisdom of eliminating an exit from the neighborhood in light of Prometheus’ plans.

“I’m concerned that if you close the ramp, you’re going to have 191 units there, and those people are going to turn around and they’re going to go nothing but through your neighborhood,” McAlister told residents.

Added Siegel: “I think this is a real mistake. Cross-cut traffic that’s there is going to be replaced by the new development.”

The majority of council members acknowledged that the closure would likely be painful at first but ultimately necessary as the city seeks to put greater emphasis on other modes of transportation.

“I think it makes sense,” Vice Mayor Chris Clark said via teleconference. “It might not be the most popular decision right now, but I think in the long-run it’s the right thing to do.”

Jason Green is a breaking news reporter for the Bay Area News Group. He works week nights and spends most of his time covering crime and public safety. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara and the University of Southern California, he cut his teeth at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and the Palo Alto Daily News, and has been with the Bay Area News Group since its inception.

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